Is it okay to watch Game of Thrones? (some thoughts on freedom, fear, and viewer discretion)

Is it okay to watch Game of Thrones? I have Christian friends who want to get together and watch it, and other Christian friends who think it’s the Show Satan Made. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

HBgO or HBnO?”

Dear HBOer,

I don’t know if it’s okay for you to watch Game of Thrones (or any other show, for that matter). I’ve only watched the first episode, and I know it’s not for me. Here are some of my thoughts in trying to figure that out, though.

We like binary answers: black or white. Yes or no. Wrong or right. And for sure, there are things that are absolutely black or white: it is ALWAYS wrong to murder. it is ALWAYS wrong to steal (and that includes pirating movies, BTW).

But the Bible also has all sorts of things where the answer is neither black nor white. Rather, the situation calls for discernment. Take this frustrating pair of verses from Proverbs, for example:

“When arguing with fools, don’t answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are.” (Proverbs 26:4)

followed by,

“When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation.” (Proverbs 26:5)

Huh??

And then there are the passages in the new Testament that talk about how for some, eating a certain diet and neglecting certain religious days is sinful, while for others it is fine (Colossians 2:16, Romans 14). So in other words: sometimes the answer to whether something is right or wrong is IT DEPENDS.

It depends on the context. It depends on your community. It depends on who you are and where you are at in life.

We are coming out of a generation in Christianity that has been bounded up with lots of rules, well intentioned (I think) to try and keep us from sin. Rules about clothing, dating, dancing, modesty, music etc have abounded in church culture, and I do believe for the most part this has in an effort to pursue holiness. But often it’s gone the way of LEGALISM.

In response, I’ve seen so much about Christian freedom: critique of purity culture and some very fundamentalist ways of doing church/discipline etc. But often it’s gone the way of LICENSE.

I think neither legalism nor license help us navigate the complexity of living well in our world. We need DISCERNMENT for the vast area between the “I don’t watch any TV at all!” and the “I can watch ANYTHING AT ALL!” extremes. I don’t know that we talk about (or teach) discernment enough.

Discernment has to mean more than a “do what works for you” policy. I think we do need to have better, wiser conversation on helping one another gauge these things. In between legalism and license, we need WISDOM. “Everything is permissible,” said Paul, “but not everything is beneficial.” (1 Corinthians 6). So the question is: how do you figure out what is beneficial?

One of the hallmarks of growing in maturity is learning to pay attention to your own sweet self. Listening to your body, being aware of your emotions and thought patterns etc are all part of our journey in discipleship. We are not good at this. We need to be better at this. Rest (and with it, reflection and self-examination) are important parts in us helping live meaningful, intentional lives. We need to pause and take stock on how things are affecting us, what we’re learning, how we’re growing or being shaped by the choices we make… in order to make better and wiser choices.

It is simply NOT TRUE that what we can watch/listen/engage in whatever and remain neutral and unaffected. We absolutely ARE shaped by the stories we expose ourself to. In books, TV, movies, pictures and real life – each story we expose to leaves its mark in our formation. The stories in our lives shape the way we approach the world: they sculpt our vision of the “good life”, they spark our imagination, they make us want certain things and hate other things… and if we are not paying attention to what is being sparked, nurtured, or drowned in our desires, we can land up in serious trouble. Like Rom Coms with the underlying message that it’s the “proposal moment” (or the dramatic chase to the airport departure chase) that brings the moment of clarity that you’ve met “the one”. Or like porn giving us really messed up scripts for what to expect in sexual intimacy.

I think it’s a healthy practice to talk through our show choices with friends or family and think through questions about what the underlying messages and values of a show are, and how they are affecting you. Naming the issues is a big first step in being aware of the impression they might have. A deeper level of conversation needs to happen in then considering what impact those messages are having on you: how do you feel after watching the show? Turned on? Angry? Riled up? Triggered? Numb? Disappointed and disillusioned with your own life?

Here is how this has worked out with me in considering a couple of shows:

We started watching New Girl and stopped a couple seasons in – the room mate drama and sex were getting too much for me. I have a high view of sex and I was just getting tired of how often (and how poorly) it was addressed in the show. Sex shouldn’t be the butt end of most of a show’s jokes, and I don’t want to curate a jaded view of sex.

We watched 24. I couldn’t cope after season 2, but my husband was okay watching through the end. I think the show really showed how ALL of us are corruptible, but I just so desperately needed someone honest and reliable (a redeemer!) in that storyline. Also, I was continually frustrated that no-one ever seemed to need to use the bathroom or eat.

The Good Place has received critical acclaim, but I chose not to watch (and wrote about it) … matters of eternity are close to my heart.

I loved season 1 of Crazy Ex Girlfriend: so clever and funny. But when I realized she wasn’t just kooky, but that there were actual mental health issues at stake, somehow it just wasn’t funny to me anymore. I think I’ve just met too many people really hurting from mental health issues to engage that way anymore. I know, I’m a real party pooper. But I’m trying to care for people with these issues and a show which makes fun of them (and where no-one knows the problem is a problem) was a problem for me.

I watched all the Friends seasons, and felt aware of (and distant enough from) the very different relationship values in them. My husband, on the other hand, was perpetually frustrated by how the friends lie to each other (or conceal things from one another) as the center point of every episode’s drama. I hadn’t noticed it before, but he’s right. They really do hide things from each other. He didn’t watch.

We watched Parenthood. I thought it was excellent. He thought the family arguments had too many people talking at the same time (and shouting at each other) – it stressed him out. He was paying attention.

He watched Lost. I can’t. I know my imagination cannot handle the paranormal or big suspense stuff. It makes me anxious and weepy…

I didn’t watch (or read) 50 Shades of Gray. Jamie the Very Worst Missionary did watch it and she was fine. Her post makes exactly this point: you need to know what you can handle. And ask questions about what’s drawing you into the story again and again.

I watched Outlander, which has plenty of sex. I don’t think this would have been helpful for me to watch in my early 20s (age matters), or maybe if I was single (“don’t awake love before it desires”, is Song of Songs’ advice to young women). But as a now older, married person – it was okay. except for the violence parts, which I absolutely cannot handle. I skipped those parts in the book and the movie.

Which brings me to your question: what about Game of Thrones?

It depends. From the brief part I saw, and from the bulk of what I’ve heard, this is a show with PLENTY of graphic (and unhealthy) sex, and PLENTY of violence. I think we are, in general, overexposed to those things, and thus in danger of being numb to the power of those stories’ shaping power. So there’s a caveat, and there’s a LOT of wisdom in erring on the side of caution in these things. One of the big dangers in movie and TV watching is that you can’t unsee things. So if it’s likely that you will see things you might wish you hadn’t (if you don’t want them turning up in your dreams or your fantasies), then maybe rather not.

But that doesn’t make for an automatic no. My questions for your consideration are: what impact is that show having on you? How do you feel afterwards? What does it make you want more of in life? If you think of God being present in the room with you as you watch, how does that change your awareness regarding the content of what you’re watching? What if you were watching with your parents?

As disclosed above, I’ve watched some TV that for others, is dangerous or damaging. I think in general GoT has a very high risk of being dangerous and damaging in how it kindles our imaginations. But that’s for you, the Holy Spirit, and wise counselors to wade through. I find the “it may be permissible, but is it beneficial?” grid to be really helpful for me to think this stuff through. I hope it is for you, too.

Best,

Bronwyn

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7 thoughts on “Is it okay to watch Game of Thrones? (some thoughts on freedom, fear, and viewer discretion)”

Never saw GoT. Never wanted to. I did see a couple of episodes of The Good Place; seemed beaucoup stupid to me.

I do watch This Is Us regularly; I like the characters, but the messes they get into…incomprehensible.

But then, I don’t share a common paradigm, since I’d be quite happy living in a dirt-floored hootch in the world’s unwashed armpit, with just my weapons and 782 gear and a Bible, and a clearly defined mission, to rain hell down on those who would kill the innocent.

Reordering one’s mind to the realities of First World life does not, it seems, always work.

Agree with your assessment. I did not make it past the first sex scene in the first episode. I could not, in good conscience, allow mymind to be triggered, no matter the rave reviews from friends. All things are permissable, but that show was not beneficial to me, my marriage, or my family. Thank you for speaking on discenment. I wish more preachers would.

The issue with so many shows is not the conveying of reality ,including the reality of sinful actions, but the glorifying of it. I don’t need to “see” the whole sex act, murder, rape to understand it happened. I’m an intelligent enough being to get the implication and follow the story line. The amount of sex in so many shows, game of thrones bieng a forerunner, is pornography. The argument that people engaged in these sex acts by free choice somehow makes it ok to watch is a lie. The basis of creation and our existence to each other is that people should be loved and things should be used. Pornography reverses that. It uses. It doesn’t matter that the one doing the act wants to do it or not.
When you watch -you use. And people were never meant to be used. They were meant to be loved. Pornography steals. It lies. It uses. It takes a person , both doer and watcher and uses them both for unintended purpose. That is abuse.

Full disclosure: I’m obsessed with GoT even whilst I recognize its horrors and the danger it poses of numbing the viewer. I’m definitely more numb to violence as a result of this show. But I flipping love it.

However it struck me this week that one surprising side-effect of GoT is that it’s brought the Old Testament to life for me. I’m slightly concerned this is heresy but it’s true for me. In Bible Study this week, we were reading about Elijah standing up to Ahab about God’s judgement and trying to fathom his courage and the danger he was in – and for the first time really, these dusty old stories came alive. Ahab was like King Joffrey in Westeros – all of a sudden I could imagine that confrontation, I could see it in my mind’s eye. Jezebel was like Cersei – scheming, wicked, unstoppable. I could totally imagine the dogs eating Jezebel’s body (we handily saw something similar in Series 6). So there we go, my own personal Buzzfeed article…’Game of Thrones brought the Old Testmant to life’. 🙂

I read the Game of Thrones books years ago, before the series was on, and have chosen not to watch the show, in spite of recommendations by Christian friends. I was told once that our minds, when reading, give us only pictures we are able to imagine, while TV producers are able to go way beyond. I agree with Cathryn – in the books I saw the characters choose good or evil, protect or abuse the vulnerable, and much more that “inspired” me to think about power in my world. I don’t need to see vivid scenes of rape and murder to know about them.

My teens and we, as parents, talk about this ALL THE TIME, but I plan to forward this article to them. Sometimes hearing it from someone else, well spoken, has greater impact. Thank you for your thoughtful and balanced article.